Reviews with content warning for Grief - Uprooted

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

25 reviews

orchidlilly's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Overall, subpar. The magic and world building are far more interesting than any of the characters could ever dream of being, which is a shame because we don't get to see much of it. The premise was interesting, the plot was an actual plot, but it could have been fleshed out so much better if it only had a bit more time. The ending was a semi-refreshing subversion of the expected romance ending, but it felt a bit rushed. The romance part itself was, in my opinion, wholly unnecessary and a bit unpleasant. The main romantic interest is an immortal while our mc is... 17-ish. Not to mention the attempted rape scene.

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saintyeehaw's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I kept rooting for this book and it kind of kept letting me down, sadly. I fell in love with the magic system, the visualizations of spell casting, the descriptions of reading the Summoning, and the dark horror of the Wood. Unfortunately, Sarkan's never ending verbal abuse toward Nieshka, her being 17 to his 150, the weird sympathetic framing of a rapist, and the inclusion of only one explicitly black character just to have her be the daughter of a slave really soured me on the whole thing.

I'll just rant here. The fact that Sarkan chooses specifically girls (never explained why boys aren't chosen if everyone with the gift must be trained) and expects them to cook all his meals for him for ten years was already irredeemable in my eyes. His constant berating of Nieshka literally left her EXPECTING abuse multiple times throughout the book which left me feeling sick at its romanticization. Truly, Sarkan's only traits were that he liked cleanliness and that he was mean. Their hideous age gap (of literally a child and a very old man) being framed as his excuse to momentarily hesitate from sex with her? yikes. Why did she need to be 17? I would have much preferred reading about an adult woman and her ages old immortal boyfriend. Lastly, the rape scene was handled unbelievably poorly and just made Sarkan even more monstrous to me.

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whirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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falchionm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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kindra_demi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Full transparency to this review: I had absolutely no interest in reading this book. This was the book my book club chose to read for March. Going into the book, I was just thinking “I am here for the ride”. And for this reason, I am incredibly surprised at how much I ended up liking this book! There were points in this book I was sad I had to put it down because life needed attention instead.

As with any fantasy book, the beginning was full of world building, but it wasn’t so much so that it made it difficult to understand. The parts that were left vague were intentional to be answered later on. I will say that the writing style at times was a bit confusing. There were times where something would be posed as a thought, only to be answered by another person verbally (though no mind reading was ever mention). In the same vein, I also found I did have to reread some passage a couple times to understand what was fully going on. This is especially true in the second half of the book that was action packed. While for the most part, the writing that was intentionally left vague were eventually answered, there are some moments where I wish we got an answer as to why something might have happened.

Hands down my favorite part of the book is the magic system. The magic system was one of the most interesting magic systems that I’ve read! (Light spoilers for the types of magic seen)

I loved how it Agnieszka's magic was supposed to feel warm, and almost folk-like, where it was doing with what you have around you. Whereas you have the Dragon, who was trained in the capital city in a very rigid structure, and as a result has a magic style similar to that.

For it’s faults, this is definitely a book I would recommend to any fantasy lover, but as always, check the content warnings and see if it’s something for you!!

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themoonlightarchive's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

In Uprooted by Naomi Novik, a dark fairy tale with Polish roots, the most powerful wizard in the nation chooses one girl to serve him every ten years. In return, the Dragon protects the villages from the rotting corruption of the Wood that spreads its roots further and further every year. Agnieszka has always known that her best friend, Kasia, would be chosen, just as everyone else in their village has always known it. But when the Dragon comes, it isn’t Kasia that he takes away to his tower.

What I loved:

• The magic system in this book has to be one of my favourites that I’ve read.

• The main character, Agnieszka, was full of determination, never hesitated to help those in need, and held an emotional connection to her magic that I truly loved. She was stubborn as hell and I adored that about her. Every scene where she used magic held me captivated in a way I haven’t experienced in quite a while.

• The side characters were well-rounded and fleshed out. The love interest was mysterious, brooding, sulky and powerful. Exactly what I’m most weak for. I also adored Kasia, the main character’s best friend. She was just as determined as Agnieszka, as well as strong and caring and funny and beautiful.

• The writing, while a bit wordy at times, was full of beautiful imagery that drew you into the world the author created and put down roots. The vibe of the entire novel was immaculate, to be honest. It was dark and tense and perfect.

What I wish were different:

• I wish the book had been a bit longer because the pacing of the third act of the book felt rushed. There was definitely a lot of information crammed in there towards the end and it made it a little difficult to keep up at times.

• There were many characters that I wanted more closure with, including Agnieszka, Kasia and the Dragon. I don’t normally enjoy side stories but for this book, I would have gobbled those stories right up if they existed. I want to know how the prince turns out with Kasia’s influence. I want to know how Kasia’s life turns out. I want to see Agnieszka and the Dragon a few years down the road.

• My biggest complaint was the lack of maps. I didn’t understand the location of most places and didn’t understand the layout of the Tower. It would have helped with visualizing quite a bit.

Despite my complaints about this book, I truly adored and thoroughly enjoyed it. With a lush magic system, well-written characters and breathtaking imagery, Uprooted is most definitely getting added to my favourites list.

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beesknees's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Uprooted provides a slow-paced, ever-expanding adventure reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. Agnieszka is not a girl following her fate, but an unsuspecting heroine who follows her intuition for better or for worse. Agnieszka truly is the highlight of this book, I was delighted to follow alongside her journey and watch her grow. Uprooted showcases complex relationships between friends, family, lovers, enemies, and community. Specifically the relationship between Agnieszka and Kasia was unique and well-documented. Again, this is a rather slow-paced story, so paying attention is crucial to gather the imagery author Novik describes. The story takes some classic tropes such a young and prideful princes, and moody loner wizards, and expands on them to create this new fairy tale.

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bookishchef's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There's a few tropes in here that I am not the biggest fan of

- Ancient creature x barely legal teenager romance.

I know that there is no equivalent to this irl so I should stfu, but it still makes me uncomfortable, even if it is later revealed that the MC is immortal as well. It is even mentioned within the text by Sarkan that this has weird undertones (right before he has sex with the MC anyway, so he obviously was not too concerned).

- Best friend character that should have been the love interest instead but is not because heteronormativity says no.

I did not dislike Sarkan as a love interest. Gloomy, grumpy, bookish boys are a weak spot of mine. But Kasia x Agnieszka would have been immaculate. Super strong sword fighter girl x witch? I want that story dammit!

- Ancient magical objects and places getting a thorough explanation instead of staying mysterious.

Stories with fairy tale vibes do not need to explain everything. Why can the bears in Goldilocks talk? Because they can. Why do they eat porridge? Because they do. Not everything needs an explanation in fairy tales. And for me explaning why The Woods existed felt a bit unnecessary.

It is an enjoyable read nonetheless! And there was much I did enjoy!

- Uneasy allies to lovers
- Well written friendship
- A fairy tale esque feeling
- Female characters calling men out for their bullshit
- "Being strong" not being linked to violence or traditionally masculine tasks and features
- Eastern european influences (Baba Jaga, the food, the names of the characters, hell maybe even the Woods itself)
- Everything about the Summoning
- That singular smut scene

I don't love the ending of the book either, but somehow it did not take away from the rest of the story for me. There is just too much to enjoy here.

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gowlstick's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a fantastic standalone fantasy novel that honestly I find myself unable to keep going back to for some reason.
It is based on Polish & Slavic folklore tales in some instances.

Agneiszka is best friends with the girl, Kasia, who is assumed to be taken by the local wizard the Dragon. Upon choosing day it is Agneiszka who is chosen, not Kasia. And much to her surprise she has the talent of magic. Without exactly understanding her talent or the way the talent is normally perceived she ends up in a fight against The Wood which is not quite as it seems.

Without spoiling this book has a wonderful view on human relations, especially in the case where humans may have a different kind (witches/wizards live much much longer lives, up to a couple hundred years). Fantastical in nature it is an homage to those who love their home.

I cannot recommend this book enough to fellow fantasy lovers. I am left simply with wanting more but also so grateful that the planned plot was so well executed.

The only issue I, or others seem to have is the relationship between Agneiszka and the Dragon. (read more in spoiler if you choose)

She is only 17/18 during the happenings of the book whereas the Dragon is quite literally a century or so older than her. This is seen however and he is not the one who makes attempts at her. Agneiszka is the one who makes the advances (which is refreshing honestly). And they do not finish the book in a sense of her being subservient to his wishes or the vice versa.
By the end of the book due to her experiences (in my opinion) she feels youthful yes, but beyond time, particularly because she accepts she will outlive the ones she was blood born to.
The two of them never form an entire canonical 'relationship' in the way we modernly see, but more of a closeness with a lovers aspect.
I am incredibly happy with this decision.

I am so happy with this novel, and honestly wish there could have been more, but also desperately wish there wasn't.

With an intoxicating end to a plot I really do think that if you enjoy fantasy you should give this book a try.

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tieflingkisser's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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